Chapter 88

When He Yan went to school for registration, Jin Xiuzhu was the only one who accompanied him.

Originally, He Yan intended to go alone, but Jin Xiuzhu secretly told him that she must follow him, acting as if she wouldn't let him go to school without her.

He Yan always listened to his mother, assuming she couldn't bear to part with him. Without much thought, he followed Jin Xiuzhu's instructions. The two younger sisters were fine; although Fu Yanyan found him too much of a mama's boy, she didn't say anything. Liu Liu also thought it was just her brother wanting to spend more time with their mother.

However, Jiang Mingchuan disapproved of his son's behavior, "How old are you now? Still acting so timidly, needing your mother for everything. Isn't that embarrassing?"

He Yan glanced at his silently eating mother, feeling a bit wronged but knowing he had to take the blame. Fortunately, he enjoyed going against his father, "Dad, are you jealous? Well, in my heart, Mom will always come first."

Sure enough, Jiang Mingchuan got angry, "You little brat, who cares about being your number one?"

Seeing this, Jin Xiuzhu quickly smoothed things over, "Alright, alright, our son just can't bear to part with me. Don't scold him anymore."

Jiang Mingchuan turned his head away in frustration, knowing he could never win an argument about stubbornness with his son.

Indeed, He Yan added, "Mom, I love you the most. No one can replace your position in my heart. I want all my classmates to see how great my mom is."

Even though Jin Xiuzhu knew her son was saying this on purpose, she still smiled happily, covering her mouth.

Liu Liu eagerly asked, "What about me? I want to go too."

"You can forget it. You haven't finished memorizing your books yet, so there's no time."

The little girl puffed out her cheeks, clearly unhappy.

Only Fu Yanyan noticed something and silently observed Jin Xiuzhu and He Yan, keeping her thoughts to herself.

In the evening, Jin Xiuzhu packed two sets of clothes and carried a black bag to He Yan's room. He Yan was checking his belongings when Jin Xiuzhu entered with the black bag and said, "Put this in your bag and bring it with you tomorrow."

"Okay."

Without thinking much, He Yan took the bag, surprised by its weight. His hand sank slightly, and he looked puzzled, "Mom, what did you pack? It feels like stones, so heavy."

"Just some small toys for Aunt Wang. Be careful not to let anyone steal it; it's quite expensive."

He Yan nodded, assuming it was local porcelain, as there was a ceramic factory nearby, and their household items were always beautiful. When his aunt got married, his mother bought many such items for her.

"Alright."

Worried about breaking them, He Yan placed the items carefully in the middle of his clothes, thinking they would be less likely to break there.

The next morning, mother and son headed to the train station. Their neighbor Li Yun, knowing He Yan was leaving for school, waited at the door. Seeing them leave, she handed He Yan a prepared medicine bag. "There are ginseng slices and medicines for bruises and injuries. I heard military school is tough, so these might come in handy. Take them; if you run out, write or call me, and I'll send more."

He Yan didn't refuse and smiled, "Thank you, Auntie."

Li Yun was happy for him, "No need to thank me. I'm proud of your achievements."

He Yan waved goodbye to her.

Li Yun watched them leave, then returned to the courtyard to get ready for work.

In the living room, Sister Huang was feeding the child. After finishing most of the bowl, she fed the last few bites, then cleaned up and left with Li Yun.

On weekdays, Li Yun would bring the child and Sister Huang along. She now had her own dormitory, where Sister Huang could rest or take the child to the hospital's lawn. With many people around, she worried the child might become shy if kept indoors all the time.

Having been a teacher before, she knew children's personalities varied greatly depending on their parents' upbringing. Some were shy, while others were outgoing. Her master's three children were well-behaved and polite, greeting elders and peers naturally. She believed this was due to their parents' open-minded and relaxed attitude, as well as frequently taking them out.

She hoped Nanxing would grow up similarly.

Mother and son took the train to the neighboring provincial capital. They first went to a state-owned hotel for a meal. After eating, He Yan planned to visit the black market to meet Yang Yingxiong, but Jin Xiuzhu insisted on visiting the state-owned guesthouse first.

He Yan guessed she wanted to see Aunt Wang, and since it had been a long time, he agreed, mainly because he didn't want his mother to go alone.

They went to the address provided by Aunt Wang. Jin Xiuzhu, familiar with the area, led her son directly to the place and knocked on the door of the room at the end of the corridor on the third floor.

The door opened quickly, and Wang Ling greeted Jin Xiuzhu with a slightly serious nod, "Come in; we've been waiting for you."

Jin Xiuzhu didn't say much, just nodded and entered.

He Yan's face lit up with a bright smile upon seeing everyone but quickly noticed something off about Aunt Wang. His smile faded slightly as he respectfully greeted her, "Aunt Wang."

Wang Ling patted his shoulder, "Come in."

He Yan carried his bags inside and saw several unfamiliar faces in the room.

Wang Ling introduced them to Jin Xiuzhu, "This is Liu Yin, this is Yu Xiaoqing, and this is Tian Xia."

Then she introduced Jin Xiuzhu, "This is our factory's second-in-command, Jin Xiuzhu."

The others stood up as Wang Ling introduced Jin Xiuzhu.

"Hello, Deputy Director Jin."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Deputy Director, good to see you."

"Hello."

Only He Yan was confused. When did his mother become a deputy director?

Wang Ling continued, "Although this is your first meeting, you are already familiar with each other. Let's get straight to business."

Jin Xiuzhu found a seat, and the others also sat down.

He Yan looked over and walked to stand beside Jin Xiuzhu.

Wang Ling explained to Jin Xiuzhu first: "Fang Min can't come, but she's willing to invest five thousand yuan."

As she said this, she secretly glanced at the other three people.

The expressions of the other three varied. Only Jin Xiuzhu remained calm; they had already coordinated their story over the phone. Their goal was to make the other three contribute more money, thereby reducing their own risk.

However, it was certain that in the end, they would have to invest more to gain a say in the matter.

After Wang Ling finished speaking, she paused before continuing, "Everyone now knows that business is good in the south, but being good is one thing, and whether or not it can be successful is another. My point is that we need to work together. Taking over the factory is manageable, but the real challenge is establishing ourselves in the south, which requires money. Now, it's up to everyone to decide if they're willing to take the risk."

"High risk means high returns. My current factory is still profitable, but not very optimistically. I've already communicated with the government officials, and taking over the factory is feasible. They can give me time. I believe everyone trusts my capabilities, and sitting here today shows your faith in me..."

Before she could finish, a woman named Tian Xia interrupted her, "Director Wang, let's save time. Just tell us how much money you need."

Hearing this, Wang Ling pursed her lips and then said, "I estimate it will be one hundred thousand yuan."

The three people across from her gasped, "One hundred thousand yuan?"

Tian Xia's neighbor, Yu Xiaoqing, frowned and asked, "With just the few of us, can we even gather one hundred thousand yuan?"

The only man present, Liu Yin, remained rational, "We do need one hundred thousand yuan. It's like starting a new factory here."

The other two didn't speak, understanding the situation but feeling overwhelmed by the amount.

After all, they were just ordinary factory workers without substantial savings.

Their willingness to participate stemmed largely from their trust in Wang Ling's ability to lead them to prosperity.

Wang Ling looked at Jin Xiuzhu.

Jin Xiuzhu spoke up, "I'm willing to contribute fifty thousand yuan. You can discuss the rest among yourselves."

Upon hearing this, the three people across from her looked skeptical. Tian Xia hesitantly asked, "Fifty thousand? How can you afford that?"

Jin Xiuzhu instructed He Yan, "Bring me my black bag."

He Yan, without a word, bent down to retrieve the black bag his mother had given him last night.

Jin Xiuzhu took the black bag and pulled out a smaller cloth pouch, showing the golden items inside to everyone. "Gold is currently fourteen yuan per gram. There are seven pieces here. With an additional one thousand yuan, it adds up to fifty thousand."

The three people exchanged glances, surprised by Jin Xiuzhu's generosity.

Wang Ling frowned and pondered, "I'll try to persuade Fang Min to invest ten thousand yuan."

Yu Xiaoqing looked at Wang Ling, "We don't have gold bars."

Jin Xiuzhu responded, "No gold bars, but surely you can come up with ten thousand yuan? You can't expect to make money without investing anything. We have three children, and these are our savings. We're sacrificing them for this venture."

Wang Ling quickly added, "I'm willing to contribute thirty thousand yuan. If you're not willing to contribute, forget it. I'll find others to make up the difference."

The three fell silent, knowing Wang Ling was testing them but still felt pressured to agree. Tian Xia, the most impatient, thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll contribute ten thousand yuan."

Seeing this, Yu Xiaoqing, who was still hesitant, also agreed to contribute ten thousand yuan.

Liu Yin looked at Wang Ling and the two women beside him, then sighed, "Looks like contributing five thousand won't do. I'll also contribute ten thousand yuan."

Wang Ling breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Good. Thanks for your trust. I've prepared the agreements. Let's review them."

She took out six copies of the agreement and passed them around. Jin Xiuzhu took one, and once everyone had theirs, she suggested, "Comparing each one individually is too troublesome. I'll read it aloud. See if there are any discrepancies."

The three people glanced at Wang Ling and nodded in agreement.

They initially thought Jin Xiuzhu and Director Wang were close, but now they realized that when it came to interests, everyone was aligned.

Jin Xiuzhu began reading the agreement, "After discussion, I, Wang Ling, and..."

After reading, Wang Ling wrote down the investment amounts on each copy, and everyone pressed their fingerprints on the documents, keeping their copies.

For Fang Min's portion, Jin Xiuzhu and the others pressed their fingerprints as well, leaving the final decision to Wang Ling to discuss with Fang Min.

Once everything was settled, the other three left.

Only Jin Xiuzhu, her son, and Wang Ling remained in the room.

After they left, He Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Although the process seemed simple, he felt that what they were doing was quite daring. He wasn't stupid and had guessed that they were planning to take over Aunt Wang's textile factory in the county, using future profits to pay off the debt. The funds they were raising were for development in the south, where they planned to open garment factories and stores.

What shocked him even more was that his mother was doing all this without informing the family, especially his father. Most frighteningly, she trusted him to carry the gold bars openly.

Thinking about it, He Yan felt a lingering fear. No wonder his father often said his mother was reckless; she truly was bold.

He couldn't handle such situations again.

After chatting with Wang Ling for a while, Jin Xiuzhu left with He Yan, knowing Wang Ling was busy.

Leaving, she gave Wang Ling four small gold bars and said earnestly, "These are all our savings. I didn't tell Mingchuan when I brought them. Please don't betray my trust."

The other three were stones wrapped in yellow cloth, placed at the bottom, not easily noticeable.

She then smiled, "Work hard. I trust you, but don't overwork yourself. We'll take it step by step."

Wang Ling was moved, "Thank you for your cooperation today. Rest assured, I won't let you down."

"Alright, we'll leave now."

"Okay."

Jin Xiuzhu and He Yan left with their bags. After a few steps, they encountered a familiar figure in the hallway. He Yan recognized him immediately and called out, "Xiaojun!"

Wu Xiaojun walked with his head down, flipping through a notebook in his hand. Hearing the voice, he instinctively looked up and saw He Yan and Jin Xiuzhu. His face lit up with surprise as he quickly approached them and said, "Aunt Jin, Xiaoyan."

Jin Xiuzhu smiled at him. "Not bad, not bad. I almost didn't recognize you just now; you've changed so much."

Wu Xiaojun chuckled a couple of times, then sincerely turned to He Yan. "I heard you got into military school. Congratulations! Keep it up and try to surpass Uncle Jiang in the future."

He Yan was delighted to hear this. "Sure, thanks for the good wishes."

All three of them laughed.

After a few more words, He Yan politely said goodbye, not wanting to disturb Wu Xiaojun's work. Wu Xiaojun also added, "I should be coming here often in the future. When I have time, let's go out for a nice meal together."

"Sounds good. You'll be treating us, since you're earning money now."

"It would be my honor."

"Hahaha."

As mother and son left the guesthouse, He Yan's smile hadn't faded. He couldn't help but tell Jin Xiuzhu, "It's great to see Wu Xiaojun like this."

The last time he saw him, Wu Xiaojun seemed gloomy and lacked vitality. Now, he is so cheerful and confident, with a sense of maturity and decisiveness, like a grown-up.

Jin Xiuzhu said, "Everyone is growing."

He Yan shook his head and then seriously said, "Mom, I learned another lesson from you. That is, to always be kind to others. You taught me this before, but I didn't fully understand it. I just followed your lead without truly grasping its meaning. But now I realize that being kind not only benefits others but also oneself. Look, when we left, Aunt Li gave me medicine, and Aunt Wang thought of you first when opening her factory. And look at how Wu Xiaojun has changed. Even if there are no tangible benefits, seeing others improve makes me feel better and gives me a sense of value."

"Mom, you once said that people should be a bit selfish and that every action has a purpose, even kindness. But even so, kindness remains kindness and doesn't change its essence because of our intentions."

Jin Xiuzhu listened without speaking. She looked at the tall young man beside her, who used to need her guidance but now had his own thoughts and insights, explaining things to her.

She thought to herself, this must be the meaning of raising a child.